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User blog:Pinkachu/Admin visit to Carbine Studios
On July 22nd, 2014 the Admins of WildStar Wikia (myself and Kat_ChaosReborn) along with two members of the Wikia-Inc Team, Jorge and Miguel, flew down to Aliso Viejo, CA to visit Carbine Studios. We got there a bit early, so we hung out at a local coffee shop and enjoyed the view of a nearby fountain. I had never personally been to Orange County, let alone California so this was a really new experience for me. Just to be invited to meet with the Developers and the Community Team of WildStar was amazing enough, but to have Wikia offer to help set it all up for us was pretty cool too. It not only shows what an incredible company Wikia is, but it proves that hard work and dedication can be well rewarded. We arrived at the doors of Carbine Studios at 10am and met up with members of their Community Team, including Tony Rey, Joel Sasaki, Paul Williams and Sean Clanton. I felt like a kid in a candy store! Who needs celebrity actors or famous singers? I was right where I wanted to be! We were shown the main entrance and went inside the studio. Tony needed to finish up some notes for the Nexus Report that was being streamed live at 11am. We were introduced to Tyler 'Non' Griffin and Sarah Delahanty. I have talked to them via social media but to meet them in person was really cool. Then Frost walked in. Mr. Dev Speak himself. Ok, ok... breathe... breathe....... ok, don't say ANYTHING STUPID! Um, Hi! So, we were asked who was going to be on the Nexus Report with Frost and Tony and while I needed absolutely no prodding whatsoever, I was volunteered. I had been looking forward to this for weeks. No way was I going anywhere! Sarah D. and Tyler were at the controls and made me feel very comfortable. If you haven't seen the July 22 episode, first of all, WHY NOT??? Second, go watch it right now. It was so much fun and I want to do it again, and again....... Here, I'll even give you the link! Nexus Report, July22, 2014 I've already seen it at least 6 times and so have many of my friends whether they wanted to or not. After the show, we went to lunch with Tony, Sean, Paul and Joel. The company and conversation was awesome. We left most of the gaming stuff behind and talked about whatever crossed our minds. I really felt comfortable and welcomed. After lunch we headed back to the studio to finish our tour and meet specific people. My personal list was pretty long. During our tour, we were introduced to members of the Art Department (where I think Kat wanted to stay the rest of the day), Animation, Operations (minus Craig Turner - sad face), UI Designers, Group Content, Raid and Dungeon Designers, various Game Designers, Software Developers and Programmers, Marketing and Brand, Music, Narration and Lore Writers (where I would have happily parked), Q&A and anyone else who decided to work that day just to make our visit that more awesome! There were so many faces I recognized that day that seriously needed no introduction! Brett Scheinert, Hugh Shelton, Mike Donatelli, Tyler 'Non' Griffin, Sarah Delahanty, Kristina (CRB_Giggles and I can confirm as to why), Jeff Kurtenacker, Cory J Herndon, Jen Gordy and Kevin Lee. There were a few I didn't get to meet that I wanted to, including Craig 'Cougar' Turner, Chris 'Buiden' Thomas and Chad 'Pappy' Moore. One person I didn't expect to see tho was the Gaff himself. I recognized Jeremy Gaffney long before he got to us. Do I bow? Kneel? Faint? Wasn't quite sure what to do, so I settled for shaking his hand as we were introduced to him. I was so excited, I completely forgot to ask to take a picture with him!!! Still kicking myself thoroughly for that one! A missed opportunity I may never get again. Besides meeting Jeremy, my favorite highlights was getting to spend a little (not enough) extra time with Jeff Kurtenacker, Tony Rey, Joel Sasaki and Cory J Herndon. Jeff and Cory will more than happy to talk with us and Jeff played us a score from an upcoming event. I was so amazed to find out that some of his music is composed and produced right from his keyboard and office. I was sure it was all played by orchestra. I refrained myself from asking Cory to voice a little Phineas for me but I did get a picture taken with him which was pretty cool and as a lore hound myself, it was certainly an honor to meet him in person and discuss lore for the short time that we were allotted. What can I say about Tony Rey, that Tony doesn't already say about himself? Thank you Tony for being an awesome host, for putting up with me in Twitter and for all that you do for the WildStar Community. While many of us were sad to see 'Scooter' leave Carbine, you have stepped up to the plate, swung hard and continue to hit home runs. I look forward to seeing you and Kristen in a few weeks at Pax Prime! Thank you Joel for allowing us to visit. If we are allowed to do it again, please feel free to let us stay all day. Maybe a couple. Thank you Carbine Studios for communicating with your fans and for keeping us as a community updated and informed. I have played many MMO's, some better than others in my opinion, but in no way do any of their Community and Development Teams come close to the openness and honesty that your studio has shown us. There are no words that I can say that will fully express my gratitude for allowing us Wikians to come down and spend time with your team. It was an incredible visit and I honestly hope to do it again but this time, cancel all meetings and tie Cougar to his chair. *smile* Kim *Pinkachu* Deuel - Your biggest fan Category:Blog posts Category:News